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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 12, 2020 4:01:38 GMT -5
Julian McWilliams @byjulianmack · 6h Andrew Triggs has a pinched nerve in his neck. Was supposed to go more than one inning but came out as a result of that.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 12, 2020 4:04:33 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 6h Roenicke said he thinks the Rays can be successful in the playoffs with their current roster. #RedSox
Roenicke on the Rays -- 'Their pitching is outstanding. Their starters are good. Their relievers are good. That's what puts you in an elite class.' #RedSox
Ron Roenicke said Andrew Triggs has a pinched nerve in his neck. He was not set up to be the opener tonight. They wanted more than one inning, but he's hurt.
No IL decision yet. Will be evaluated tomorrow. #RedSox
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 12, 2020 4:05:05 GMT -5
Bill Koch @billkoch25 · 5h The #RedSox reached 30 losses on Friday night. They'll need a 14-game winning streak to avoid finishing under .500 this season.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 12, 2020 4:10:37 GMT -5
Rays 11, Red Sox 1: First team in MLB with 30…
By Jason Mastrodonato | jason.mastrodonato@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald PUBLISHED: September 11, 2020 at 10:52 p.m. | UPDATED: September 11, 2020 at 11:25 p.m. Rays 11, Red Sox 1
The Red Sox became the first team in MLB this year to lose 30 games.
The takeaways: 1. The lineup looks mighty thin without J.D. Martinez
Even though Martinez is really struggling, hitting just .211 with four homers and a .672 OPS, the lineup looks naked without him in there.
Alex Verdugo has been an excellent leadoff hitter, and Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts are as good as it gets behind him, but after that, there isn’t much there.
Christian Vazquez, who has just four homers this year, hit fourth and Kevin Plawecki, who was signed to be the backup catcher, was acting as the designated hitter and batting fifth. Jackie Bradley Jr., Bobby Dalbec, Michael Chavis and Christian Arroyo rounded out the lineup.
The Sox avoided a shutout by plating a run on a few hits in the ninth, but were mostly quiet offensively and are scoring just 4.7 runs per game this year, below league average. It’s an unacceptable mark for a team expected to be carried by its offense, and it’s why the Red Sox can’t even win the games they should win.
If Martinez chooses to opt out after this season, this lineup is really in trouble.
Dalbec was on base three times (single, double and a walk) but didn’t homer, ending his streak at five consecutive games with a home run. 2. The Rays are dominating the Red Sox
It’s been an embarrassing season for the Red Sox against the Rays, who have quietly become the Yankees’ biggest rival in the American League East (the benches cleared between the two teams last week).
With the loss on Friday, the Sox are now 2-6 against the Rays this year. They’re 9-18 against the Rays since the start of 2019, and they’re 3-13 in their last 16 matchups.
Blake Snell made it look easy against the Sox, but anybody who gets on the mound for the Rays lately is making the Sox look bad.
“He’s got nasty stuff,” manager Ron Roenicke said. “You saw us chasing up out of the zone. You saw us chasing down with the breaking ball. I mean, it’s nasty. That’s why this guy is so good.”
The Rays are a young team that’s loaded with pitching, has endless depth and can ask most of their position players to play multiple positions.
The Red Sox have a few pieces that look primed to be their core for a long time, but otherwise have no answers for this team and likely won’t for some time.
“We’re going to have to pitch better, no doubt, but their pitching is outstanding,” Roenicke said. “Their starters are good, their relievers are good, and that puts you in an elite class. That’s why they are where they are, and their position players, they scrap. They don’t give you at-bats. They have all these left-handers in their lineup, and we bring in a lefty against them, and they do a great job of lining it somewhere. They get on base all the time. They steal. They’ve very heads up on the bases.
“So, they do a lot of things to allow them to win games, and if you’re not really good at what you do, you’re not going to win games against them.”
Nathan Eovaldi, the former Ray, will take the ball Saturday night to try to save face at Tropicana Field. 3. Domingo Tapia made an interesting MLB debut
Tapia was once heralded by some as a better prospect than Jacob deGrom while the two were in the Mets system. But that was back in the early parts of the previous decade.
He’s since had Tommy John surgery, was moved to the bullpen and has spent the last 10 years in the minor leagues, throwing 685 innings across 242 games for the Mets, Reds and Red Sox.
But on Friday night, the 29-year-old native of the Dominican Republic finally made his MLB debut.
Tapia’s first MLB pitch was 99 mph right down the middle. His second was a 91-mph changeup that Nate Lowe hammered out of the park for a solo shot.
That was all Tapia gave up as he settled down to finish the inning and pick up his first career strikeout.
With gas like that, he’s an interesting pitcher to watch down the stretch. But he’s always had control issues, with 52 strikeouts and 32 walks in 66 innings with a 5.18 ERA in Pawtucket last year.
There aren’t a lot of reasons left to watch this team, but a 10-year minor league veterans who can throw 100 mph provide something new to pay attention to.
“I thought he threw some good sliders,” Roenicke said. “The fastball velocity is there, but you’re still going to have to locate pitches well. So, it was good to see him get through, after that first batter, to see him get through and get the three outs. That major league debut is always nerve wracking. It’s nice to do it, but it’s also nice to get it done and now try to calm your nerves and make pitches.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 12, 2020 4:14:41 GMT -5
Nathan Eovaldi will start for Boston Red Sox on Saturday; righty will make first start since Aug. 20 after suffering calf strain Updated Sep 11, 2020; Posted Sep 11, 2020 Eovaldi
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi during the first inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)AP By Chris Cotillo | ccotillo@MassLive.com
The Red Sox will activate right-hander Nathan Eovaldi to start Saturday’s game against the Rays, manager Ron Roenicke said Friday.
Eovaldi, who last pitched Aug. 20 in Baltimore and has a 2-2 record and 4.98 ERA in six starts this season, has been on the injured list with a right calf strain since Aug. 29. He’ll make his return in a short outing against Tampa Bay in the third game of a four-game series at Tropicana Field.
“He played catch just about 15 minutes ago,” Roenicke said. “Went well again. Because of that, we feel really comfortable about him starting tomorrow. That’s a good thing. We won’t go deep with him but he’ll start the game and we’ll see how efficient he is with his pitches and how long we can keep him out there.”
Eovaldi was pain-free in his last start, allowing one run in seven innings in a 7-1 Red Sox win over the Orioles. Two days after that outing, he began feeling tightness in his calf, causing Boston to push back his next start and eventually put him on the IL at the end of last month.
Eovaldi has thrown bullpens in recent weeks, including a two-inning simulated session at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Wednesday. Depending on how the Red Sox line up their rotation for the rest of the season, Eovaldi could make three or four more starts after Saturday’s outing.
Eovaldi’s return means prospect Tanner Houck (who is a member of Boston’s taxi squad on the club’s road trip to St. Petersburg and Miami) will not start Saturday. On Thursday, Roenicke said Houck could possibly make his major-league debut by the end of next week.
“If things go kind of as planned, there is an opportunity (this weekend),” Roenicke said. “We plan these things out. ... We’ve had to readjust. A lot of audibles. But we wanted to make sure that if there was an opportunity that we could get guys here instead of scrambling. There’s just no way to get them here otherwise (than as part of the taxi squad that flies with the team). So those opportunities may come up and we’re hopeful that they will.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 12, 2020 4:16:33 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 8h Snell is painting a beauty tonight, just complete control.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 12, 2020 4:17:01 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 7h Another multi-hit game for Verdugo. Surprised he hasn't reinjured his back trying to carry the lineup and energy of the team. .314/.374/.516.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 12, 2020 4:17:59 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 5h Good wins from Washington, Kansas City, and Arizona tonight. Pittsburgh, Texas, and the Sox in a virtual tie.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 12, 2020 4:35:02 GMT -5
Red Sox @ Rays Saturday 12th September 630pm @ the dump
Eovaldi 2-2/ 4.98
Making his first start since Aug 21rst and likely will only go 2 to 3 innings before the pen comes in and explodes.
Glasnow 2-1/ 4.35
Has struck out 66 batters over 39 innings. The Rays are 6-2 in games he starts.
Rays look to start new win streak against Red Sox FLM
Despite his team being caught in its second-worst losing streak Thursday night, Tampa Bay Rays slugger Brandon Lowe saw no point in panicking as the shortened season plays out through its final weeks of games.
Following the club's 4-3 loss to Boston -- a loss that was rare because it was to the Red Sox and by one run -- Lowe stated that the American League East-leading Rays had played enough good baseball to hold their spot atop the standings and he believed they could start winning again soon.
Three consecutive losses and dropping a game to a division foe his team had beaten five out of six times wasn't even enough to deter Lowe, who leads Tampa Bay (29-16) with 11 home runs.
"I think we're still in a good position," said Lowe of his club, which lost a season-high five straight from July 29 to Aug. 2. "There's no reason to start stressing and freaking out. It's been a couple of games that've been bad, but I think we've proven that we're not going to keep losing ball games."
The Rays put it all together Friday night and broke their three-game losing streak in an 11-1 romp over the Red Sox, who they will face for the ninth time Saturday night in the third game of the four-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Starter Blake Snell worked 5 1/3 scoreless innings, and the offense woke up with a 12-hit attack that slugged three home runs, including two by Nate Lowe.
In 12 career starts, Snell (4-1) improved to 7-3 in his career against the Red Sox and lowered his ERA to 2.59 against them, while the team improved to 16-4 when hitting more than one homer in a game.
"Blake and the overall offense and at-bats, even the guys who didn't get hits, they had good swings. We were picking each other up," said Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash, whose club has won six of eight against Boston and is 22-11 against the AL East.
The sixth-year manager started only left-handed hitters without any switch-hitters -- the first time that had happened dating back to at least 1901. Cash also didn't pinch hit or substitute for any of the nine batters as the Rays' starters recorded 35 at-bats -- all from the left side.
Cash will start Tyler Glasnow (2-1, 4.35 ERA), who has 66 strikeouts over a 39 1/3 innings in eight starts -- a whopping 15.1 Ks per game. The flamethrower is 1-1 with a 4.56 in five career starts against the AL East foe.
The Red Sox (16-30) produced 11 hits Friday night but didn't manage to put their lone run on the board until the ninth when breakout rookie Bobby Dalbec doubled in Jackie Bradley Jr.
However, the club was productive the only time it faced Glasnow this season on Aug. 13 in Boston. They touched up the 6-foot-8 right-handed Californian for five runs and eight hits in only four innings, though the Rays left Fenway Park with a 17-8 victory.
The Red Sox will trot out their own hard-throwing righty Saturday when Nathan Eovaldi (2-2, 4.98 ERA) returns to the mound to make his first appearance since Aug. 21. He is 2-5 with a 5.66 ERA in nine appearances (seven starts) against Tampa Bay.
Eovaldi will be making his first appearance since being sidelined with a right calf strain.
Manager Ron Roenicke has been impressed with the arms on the Tampa Bay staff.
"Their pitching is outstanding," Roenicke stated. "Their starters are good. Their relievers are good. That's what puts you in an elite class."
--Field Level Media
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Post by Kimmi on Sept 12, 2020 6:56:12 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 7h Another multi-hit game for Verdugo. Surprised he hasn't reinjured his back trying to carry the lineup and energy of the team. .314/.374/.516. He has been a very bright spot in this otherwise not so bright season. He's fun to watch.
That said, it was a sad, sad game last night.
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Post by Kimmi on Sept 12, 2020 6:58:20 GMT -5
It will be nice to see Eovaldi on the mound again.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 12, 2020 7:46:04 GMT -5
Peter Gammons @pgammo · 2h Red Sox pitchers have gone 6 IP five times, all by Nathan Eovaldi and Martin Perez
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 12, 2020 8:10:35 GMT -5
Rays' Willy Adames trying glasses to boost home numbers Notebook | The issue is seeing the ball while hitting at Tropicana Field, and the numbers show it’s a problem. Sept. 11, 2020, at Tropicana Field. [ CHRIS O'MEARA | AP ] By Joey Johnston; Times Correspondent
ST. PETERSBURG — Rays shortstop Willy Adames said he plans to continue wearing nonprescription glasses at Tropicana Field, where his offensive numbers are staggeringly different than his road performances.
"I’ve been having a hard time picking up the ball the last two series,” said Adames, 25, who wasn’t in the lineup for Friday’s game against the Red Sox. "I could barely see the ball. I don’t know if it’s the air conditioning, the lights, I don’t know.
“I’m just trying to figure out something to help me pick up the ball a little earlier. I’m just trying to figure out something so I can help the team a little bit more.”
Adames wore the clear glasses, provided by a trainer, Thursday night during his final at-bat (he walked). He’s batting .179 at home this season with one home run and a .597 OPS. On the road, he’s batting .367 with four homers and a 1.096 OPS.
His Trop struggles mirror the numbers from 2019, when Adames batted .204 at home with five homers and a .557 OPS. On the road, he batted .303 with 15 homers and a .903 OPS.
Adames, who doesn’t wear glasses off the field, insisted he doesn’t need to see an eye doctor. He prefers to “figure out a way myself.”
“You can see the difference in numbers,” he said. “Since the beginning of last year, I was having trouble, I guess. Every time we come from the road, it’s different in here. I don’t want to make an excuse of that. I’ve just been struggling here.”
Yet Adames managed to homer in both of last season’s American League Division Series games against the Astros played at the Trop.
“What can I tell you?” Adames said. "At the end of last year, I felt a little better. I’m just happy I helped the team a little more at the end of the year. I’m trying to figure out a way to maintain that.
“It’s hard. Every time I come from the road and do something (well), I get here and I can’t help the team.”
Manager Kevin Cash said “there are a lot of people in this game who would sign up for the season he has had,” but Cash acknowledged that the situation should be monitored.
“Basically, it’s the first I’ve heard of it,” Cash said. "There are times throughout a season that you’re just not seeing the ball well. There probably needs to be more conversations had with Willy to see what he’s expressing.
“He’s seeing something when he’s at the plate. If it’s something affecting him at home, we’ll put our heads together and try to come up with the best course of action to help him. If it’s more reps, more work in a live setting, maybe that’s something we’d consider.” Memories of 9/11
Friday was the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the United States. That time in history is an unforgettable memory for the club’s major-league field coordinator, Paul Hoover, who was a Rays catcher making his big-league debut on Sept. 8, 2001 (collecting a pinch-hit single in his first at-bat at Oakland). He returned home with the Rays and was staying with a teammate when he was awakened on the morning of the attacks.
“Somebody comes knocking at the door, ‘Wake up, wake up, turn on the news, we’re under attack,'” Hoover said. “We saw smoke coming out of one of the Twin Towers. We didn’t know what to think.”
Major-league games were postponed throughout that week. Hoover remained with the Rays when play resumed and was with the team at an emotional Yankee Stadium on Sept. 25, the first Yankees home game after 9/11.
"It was very intense, and everyone was locked in,'' Hoover said. “I remember walking down into the dugout and seeing nothing but firefighters and police officers along both (base) lines. I don’t remember much about the game. I remember the national anthem, God Bless America and the feeling that the United States of America, we were united as one.” Strikeout mark in sight
Right-hander Tyler Glasnow can tie the club record tonight for most consecutive games with eight or more strikeouts (six by David Price in 2014). Glasnow (2-1, 4.35 ERA), who leads the majors in strikeouts per nine innings (15.10), battled through a migraine, self-described poor rhythm and a 30-pitch first inning Sunday against the Marlins. He gave the Rays 5⅓ innings and 105 pitches in a game they eventually won, 5-4 in 10 innings.
"It wasn’t terrible, kind of mild (migraine) symptoms, and I recovered fine right after,'' Glasnow said. "Me and Kyle (Snyder, pitching coach) have been working (on the proper rhythm), hands and legs, getting everything to be kind of balanced. It has been feeling good throughout the week. Kyle has stayed on me, and I’ll get it right.'' Miscellany
The Rays did not take batting practice before Friday’s game against the Red Sox. "We’ve been trying to grind through this, and it hasn’t gone in our favor,'' Cash said. "Hopefully we’ll give them a couple extra hours at home, let them relax a little bit, more show and go. Let’s see if we can string some runs together that way.'' It worked well. The Rays had their highest run total since Aug. 30 and scored in double digits for the fifth time this season. … Catcher Mike Zunino (out with left oblique strain) worked with major-league field coordinator Paul Hoover on catching drills and took about 30 swings in the batting cage. He might take up to 50 swings Saturday. "He’s definitely on the right track,'' Cash said. … Cash sounded optimistic on the return of left-hander Jose Alvarado (45-day injured list, left shoulder inflammation). It’s possible Alvarado could pitch some simulated games at the alternate training site in Port Charlotte and emerge in a potential postseason. "If we get to the point where he’s available, it presents a pretty unique situation,'' Cash said. "It’s similar to Yandy (Diaz), just coming out of nowhere (reinstated for the 2019 postseason), here you go, come help us win games … and he did. We’re at the mercy of a shortened season. Jose is not going to have opportunities to kind of work his way back into the regular season. He’s going to have to make the most out of those reps at the alternate site.'' … Right-hander Oliver Drake (right biceps tendinitis) continues to progress, but his return remains uncertain.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Sept 12, 2020 8:30:51 GMT -5
It is the right time for Tanner Houck to make his debut
The Red Sox appear to be ready to make the move, and that’s a good thing. By Matt_Collins@MattRyCollins Sep 12, 2020, 9:02am EDT
Saturday could be lining up to be on the short list of the most exciting days for the Red Sox in this 2020 season. Granted, that is like being the warmest day of January in Maine, but we’ll take what we can get at this point. The big news is that Nathan Eovaldi is expected to be activated off the injured list and make his first start since tossing a gem on August 20 against the Orioles. It’s been an up and down year for the righty, but it will be nice to see him back on the mound and the hope is he’ll be able to build up some confidence for 2021 over the last few turns through the rotation. How they’ll make room for him on the roster isn’t yet clear, but we do know he’ll be there.
What makes Saturday particularly exciting is that he may not be the only pitcher to join the active roster. Tanner Houck also has a chance to make his major-league debut for this game. This one is not official, but the writing is on the wall. The righty and former first round pick joined the team for their trip to Tampa as a member of the taxi squad, and they wouldn’t do that for no reason. As Ron Roenicke said to the media regarding Houck, “I think if things go kind of as planned, there is an opportunity. Like I said, we plan these things out.” When you add in that Eovaldi probably won’t be ready to go a full start after not pitching for a few weeks, they’ll need somebody who can provide multiple innings to come in after. Houck makes all the sense in the world, and the speculation is ramping up that Saturday will be the day.
Whether it is Saturday or Sunday or when they move over to Miami for their next series, it is absolutely the right move to get him into some major-league action before this season closes out. That’s not to say they’ve mishandled him, either, because there have been legitimate reasons to keep him down at the Alternate Site in Pawtucket. Most notable among those reasons is figuring out a way to get lefties out at something close to a consistent rate, because without that he simply can’t work as a starter. They’ve been experimenting with new mechanics, new pitches and new sequencing, just trying to find something that works. That said, at a certain point you’ve got to see what you have, and for the Red Sox and Houck, that time is now.
Before we get into why that time is now, let’s take a quick second just to remind ourselves of who Houck is since we haven’t seen him in real organized action since March, and his last real organized action that counted was over a year ago. Houck, as I mentioned, is a former first round pick as the 24th overall pick coming out of the University of Missouri. A big power arm, there’s always been concern the bullpen would be his ultimate destination, and the Red Sox have spent the last few years initially trying to change him from his approach in college before going back to that and working with what he does best. The bullpen questions are still loud, largely due to the issues against lefties above, but the organization is still holding out hope he can start. He throws a big power two-seamer as his primary offering to go with a sweeping slider and a splitter. The splitter is a new pitch added this year to replace his middling changeup (per Sox Prospects), again in an effort to get lefties. Most, myself included, still think he’s ultimately a reliever, but there’s real late-inning potential here.
So, that’s what to expect when Houck does get to the mound, but as I said the timing makes sense to get the righty his look now. For one thing, he’s no longer really all that young in terms of prospect age with this being his age-24 season. (It is worth mentioning, though, that if his birthday was two days later it’d be his age-23 season. The cutoff has to be somewhere!) That’s far from over-the-hill, even speaking of prospects, but it’s also the point at which you have to start throwing the feet into the fire, especially for a power pitcher like himself.
More important than that is the fact that Houck is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter and will 100 percent be protected. He would be an easy selection for another team if left off a 40-man roster before the draft, and there’s no way the Red Sox will leave him out there. So, if you’re going to add him to the 40-man after the season, you might as well do it now. The normal arguments against this would be either finding a 40-man spot or burning an option. In this case, though, there are no shortage of players that can be taken off the 40-man without losing much sleep on this Red Sox roster, and there’s no reason to send him back down and burn that option, at least until the start of next year potentially. There are a lot of decisions to be made with respect to the Rule 5 Draft this winter, which we’ll get to when the offseason really gets underway, but this is an easy one.
Finally, there’s the simple reason that you have to see what Houck can do. Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox front office is going to have a lot of work to do with this pitching staff over the winter, and they need to know what they can expect from everyone. Evaluators can get some semblance of an idea based on work in Pawtucket, but at the end of the day those are still unorganized games against the same competition every time out. Knowing whether or not Houck can get lefties is a massive question that will help answer how next year’s staff will be built, specifically referring to what role the righty will play. They’re not going to answer that question definitively over the course of a few outings down the stretch in a lost season, of course, but they’ll get closer.
There’s not a whole lot to be excited about with this Red Sox roster, but when you’re a bad team it means you can look forward to young guys getting their first shot. We’ve seen that with Bobby Dalbec, and the early returns have been exciting. We shouldn’t put whatever the pitching equivalent of that is on Houck, but it is nice that it appears they’re ready to give him a chance. The time is right for it.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Sept 12, 2020 12:35:31 GMT -5
By Jason Mastrodonato | jason.mastrodonato@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald PUBLISHED: September 11, 2020 at 10:52 p.m. | UPDATED: September 11, 2020 at 11:25 p.m. Rays 11, Red Sox 1
If Martinez chooses to opt out after this season, this lineup is really in trouble.
If JD opts out (~ 0% chance), we can replace his bat in 15 minutes with the $19M to spend. These writers need to start looking at his stats. He's barely even starting for us.
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